I'll Be There
by stacelala
Summary: Alex Stark is going through a lot of change between graduating, starting her new job, and being engaged to her boyfriend of two and half years, things get a little overwhelming for her, but Steve is always there to calm her. But what happens when she's not there for him on one of the biggest days of both their lives? Will their love last? (Seaqul to 'Hearts Collide')
1. Chapter 1

Alex stood alone in her bedroom staring at the gown she had just required from the tailor. She bit her lip in anticipation thinking that tomorrow was going to be her big day—the day she had been dreaming about since she was a young girl. She reached out to trace the outline of her gown and became completely oblivious to her surroundings until a familiar voice spoke up and dragged her out of her daze.

"I see someone's excited for tomorrow," stated the voice. Alex immediately looked over her shoulder to see her boyfriend of two and a half years, Steve Rogers, also the famous Captain America, grinning at her. She smiled back at him as he made his way over to her, wrapped his arms around her, and gave her a quick kiss.

"Yeah, that and something else," she mumbled as she turned her attention away from him and back to her gown.

"What do you mean?" Steve asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"I'm really nervous, Steve. What if I stutter while I'm talking and make a fool out of myself? What if I mix up the words in my speech? What if I start sweating like crazy and ruin my make-up? What if I end up tripping over my gown? That's happened to me before," rambled Alex.

"I thought's that what you got it tailored for," he replied cheekily.

"I'm serious Steve! It's not just tomorrow's ceremony I'm worried about. I'm worried about what comes after it," she began as she felt her heart racing. "My entire life is going to change and I'm not completely sure I'm ready. I mean, it feels like just the other day I was just getting used to New York, and starting school, and starting to date you and now—"

Steve's lips pressing against Alex's silenced. His lips felt warm against hers and she instinctively kissed him back, allowing herself to forget about her worries and focus on Steve.

Steve pulled back from the kiss and placed his forehead against Alex's, pulling her chin up, and forcing her to look at him.

"Everything is going to be fine, Alex," he said reassuringly. "Tomorrow, you're going to walk down that aisle and you're going to look stunning. Your mom flew in from Maryland for this. Pepper and your dad are going to be there, and if you get nervous before giving your speech, remember that I'm going to be right there too. You have nothing to worry about."

Alex let out a small sigh before uttering, "You're right. I'm getting worked up over nothing. Thanks, Steve."

"You're welcome. Now come to bed with me, you have to get up early tomorrow," he replied as he gestured towards their bed.

Alex smirked at his gesture. "Are you suggesting we fool around?" she asked with a hint of playfulness before trailing her hand down his clothed torso.

"As much as I'd love to. You really need to get to sleep."

"Meanie," Alex pouted, giving him a quick glare before plopping herself on the bed.

Steve followed her, taking his place next to her.

"Well have plenty of time for that _after _the ceremony," added Steve.

"I guess you're right," sighed Alex as she flicked off the lights and nuzzled closer to him. "Goodnight, Steve," she mumbled.

"Goodnight, Alex."

* * *

Tony took his seat next to Pepper and readjusted his tie for the third time that day.

"Tony, relax. Stop being so antsy," Pepper stated as she placed her hand on his knee. "You have nothing to worry about."

"I know, Pepper, it's just— I can't believe it. Alex has grown so much and—"

"Oh, Tony, stop being such a mush," piped another female's voice. Tony looked up and saw Alex's mother taking a seat next to Pepper.

"Hello, Christina," Tony greeted. "I didn't think I'd be seeing you until later."

"No, I wanted a seat near you for our daughter's big day," Christina teased knowing how uncomfortable she was making him.

Pepper giggled at the scene and greeted Christina.

It wasn't long before the sound of the piano resonated throughout the venue where the ceremony was being held followed by the voice saying "I present to you the graduating class of 2015."

The trio, along with everyone else in the room, turned their heads to the doorway where the graduates were making their way into the grand hall where the ceremony was being held.

Alex who was the first in line was easily spotted causing Pepper and Christina to gasp at the sight of her.

"My baby's so beautiful," Christina uttered as she wiped away a stray tear from one of her eyes.

"Who's the mush now?" Tony teased as he snapped a photo of Alex as she sauntered down the aisle.

"Oh, shut up, Tony," Christina scolded as Alex passed them by. She gave the trio a small smile before she took her place in the front of the stage with five other students.

* * *

Alex's heart raced as she waiting for the music to stop indicating the start of the ceremony.

When the music finally came to an end, she watched as the President of NYU make his way to the podium.

"Today we celebrate the completion of a remarkable journey for these outstanding ladies and gentlemen all of whom I am honored to have become acquainted with. I am also honored to introduce this year's class elected speaker, Alexandria Allwheather." [1]

"_Okay, Alex_," she thought as she got up from her seat and made her way to the podium, "_you can do this_."

"_Never mind, I can't do this_," she thought as she saw a sea of people and the urge to run suddenly became almost too tempting to resist, but her nerves calmed when she caught a glimpse of Steve smiling at her. She let out a small sigh and began to address her audience.

"On my first day at NYU, I couldn't help but think 'this is it, this is everything you've ever wanted' and it's true—graduating with a degree in engineering is everything I've ever wanted since I was young girl. But now that I have finally accomplished all that I have set out to do, it saddens me to let it go. It is true that I and all the graduates here will be going off to bigger and better things, but I can't help but feel sad at everything we will be leaving behind as we finish this chapter of our lives. There will be no more Lego robot fights in the lab, no more turning lecture halls into strobe light arenas, and more constant glares from who would tell us that we have to become more serious students if we want to graduate— boy did we prove her wrong."

The sound of a few muffled laughs could be heard throughout the hall.

"As we move on to build skyscrapers or create things that will bring peace remember what it was that got you there—not just everything you learned but your creativity and uniqueness that allowed for such wonderful experiences here at NYU. Congratulations class of 2015. I wish you the best of luck."

The sound of applause could be heard throughout the site and Alex couldn't help the smile that graced her features as she walked off the stage to take her seat once again.

* * *

"Alex!" Steve cried out after the ceremony was over.

"Steve!" she replied as she ran into his arms, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him passionately. Steve responded by wrapping his arms around her waist, picking her up, and spinning her as he kissed her.

"Hey, enough kissing! I thought this was a graduation, not a wedding," Tony remarked with sarcasm oozing from his voice.

"Very funny, dad," Alex responded.

"I'm just kidding. You know I'm proud of you, kiddo. So—when are you going to officially start working for Stark industries?"

"When pigs fly," Christina interjected as she walked over to Alex and hugged her.

"Mom," she groaned as she hugged her mother back. "I'm a grown woman. I can decide what I want to do with my life."

"I know, sweetie. Just know you have other _better_ options."

"Yes, but none of them as good as what I have in store for you," Tony added.

"Oh really?" Christina questioned.

"Yes."

Alex let out a short sigh knowing that the two would be at if for a while.

"Alex, congratulations," she heard Pepper chime in

"Thanks Pepper," she responded as she pulled the taller woman into a hug. "Hey, Pepper. Steve and I have reservations to this restaurant uptown, so I was wondering if you could help me deal with my mom and—"

"Say no more. I'll handle those two. You and Steve go on your celebratory date."

"Thank you. Come on, Steve!"

"Just a second. I'll meet you at the car." Alex nodded as she made her way to the vehicle.

When she was out of site, Steve turned his attention to Pepper.

"So, are you ready for this?" said Pepper as she began to dig for something in her purse.

"As ready as I'll ever be," he responded nervously. "Do you think she'll say yes?"

"You should already know the answer to that," Pepper answered as she handed him a small velvet box that contained she picked up from the jeweler earlier that day.

"You're right. Thanks Pepper," he uttered as he made his way to the car and to the waiting Alex all the while mentally preparing himself to take her out on this date and ask her the question that would drastically change both of their lives.

[1] Although in Chapter one of 'Hearts Collide' Tony calls her Alexandria Stark, the name that is on all her legal papers is Alexandria Allwheather (after her mother).

* * *

**A/N: Gahhh! It's been too long since I wrote, but I finally did it. And you guys can thank my friend and editor iheartjack0023 for giving an idea of how to write the sequel because I hated the way my original idea was going. I also want to thank her for of course helping me edit this chapter and for putting up with trolling because the original version that I wrote was a lot more vague and one wouldn't be able to tell that it was Alex's graduation, not wedding, until the last second which would have pissed a lot of people off. P.S I'm vacillating if I should start/end off each chapter with a fun fact about Alex of my writing processes just because I can (like how I said I pissed off my editor). Anyway, thank you for reading I would appreciate some feedback telling me what you think or what you hope to see. -Stace **


	2. Chapter 2

The sound of Steve's fingers tapping against the surface of the restaurant table caught Alex's attention as she was ordering her food. She quickly glanced at Steve and noted that he was not only tapping his fingers against the table, but also bouncing his knee. 'What is he hiding?' she thought to herself.

"Will that be all?" asked the waiter.

"Yes. Thank you," Alex responded. She waited for the waiter to leave before she turned her attention to her boyfriend and asked, "So what are you so nervous about?"

"Nervous?" Steve questioned as he raised an eyebrow. "I'm not ner—"

"Steve," Alex interrupted, "I know you and I know that the jittery leg and finger tapping means you're nervous about something" Steve immediately ceased his actions and small smile began to form on his face.

"I really can't hide anything from you. Can I, Alex?"

Alex giggled softly before she shook her head 'no'. "So tell me," she began, "what is it that you're nervous about?"

"It's a surprise. That's all I'm going to say."

"Can I at least get a hint?"

"You're a genius. I'm sure you can figure it out," Steve teased.

Alex gave Steve a small glare before her attention was interrupted by the waiter serving her wine.

"You're food will be ready soon," the waiter stated.

"Thank you," Alex mumbled.

"Here's to you, Alex," Steve cheered as he rose his glass up.

"And to whatever the future has in store for me whether it be good or bad," she continued as she copied his motions before she took a sip of her wine.

Steve took a small sip from his glass and thought _'Don't worry Alex, I promise you everything that's going to happen is going to be great.'_

* * *

"Okay, Alex," Steve began, "You can open your eyes now."

Alex immediately opened her eyes and the scene she saw before her was something that continued to amaze her: the sun began to set in distance. Alex watched as the sun created beautiful shades of oranges, pinks, and yellows as it disappeared behind skyscrapers. She smiled at the sight before she leaned up to give Steve a quick kiss on the lips.

"Thank you, Steve, but I don't see how this is a surprise. We've watched the sunset together a bunch of times."

"I know. We also watched the clouds together a hundred times and have had picnics here just like we had on our first date and listened to musicians, but you still love doing it," Steve pointed out.

"You're right," Alex responded. "So now what?" she asked.

She immediately felt one of Steve's hands in hers and the other on her shoulder. "Dance with me," he whispered into her ear before he took a side step which caused her to follow him.

"Steve," she giggled, "I can't dance. There's no music."

"You don't need music to dance," he replied. "You just need the right partner." Alex grinned at his response and followed him as he led her in a dance. As he spun her around, she could hear the sound of a saxophone being played. She gave Steve a confused look before he answered, "Just because you don't need music, doesn't mean it's not nice to have it."

Alex placed her free hand on Steve's shoulder and continued to follow him. "You know," Alex began as she stared into Steve's eyes, "this reminds me of the first time we went to Central Park together. You tried to get me to run and I ended up dragging you to watch these musicians play."

"Funny you should say that. This is actually the band that played the first time we danced," Steve confessed.

"H-how did you – but I thought they had left," Alex stammered as she became lost for words.

"Surprise," grinned Steve as he pulled Alex's body close to his and pressed his lips against her forehead. Alex smiled in delight as Steve spun her around so that her back pressed against his chest. The two swayed to the beat.

Alex soon found herself lost in the music playing and the feeling of having Steve so close to her. "This was a great surprise," she mumbled as Steve spun her again so that she was facing him.

"Well," Steve dragged out as he pulled Alex closer to his body and ceased dancing, "there's just one more thing I have for you."

"And what would that be?" Alex asked as she gazed into Steve's piercing blue eyes.

"Alexandria Stark," Steve stated as Alex watched him get down one knee and reach for something in his pocket. She gasped at the sight of a small velvet box being opened to reveal a simple silver band with an elegant gem in the center. "Will you marry me?" he asked.

Alex, who was at a loss for words, simply nodded her head affirmatively. Steve grinned in response as he stood up and reached for Alex's left hand to place the engagement ring on her ring finger. Steve locked fingers with her and leaned forward to kiss her. Alex smiled as she felt his lips press against hers before she wrapped her arms around him to deepen their kiss. When the two pulled away, they could hear the sound of cheers and applause. The couple looked up and saw that the band had stopped playing, and where applauding at the couple.

"Congratulations," one of the band members cheered.

"Thank you," responded Steve. "And thank you for the help."

"Anytime, brother," piped the saxophone player as he and the other band members began to pack their instruments.

Alex watched the band leave and then turned to her now-fiancé. She raised an eyebrow at him before she asked, "So how on earth were you able to pull off a private proposal in the middle of central park?"

"I have my ways," Steve grinned before he leaned in to give Alex a tender kiss. "Future Mrs. Alex Rogers," he whispered.

"Who said I was taking your last name?" Alex teased. "Future Mr. Steve Stark," she taunted.

"I don't think I like the idea of having your dad's last name," Steve stated as he shuttered at the thought.

"I was just teasing you," Alex remarked before she placed a kiss on his cheek. "Now come on, we have to go tell everyone the good news," she squealed.

* * *

"God, what's taking those two so long?" Tony asked as he poured himself another glass of liquor. "I thought they'd be over here by now after Alex rejects him."

"Tony," Christina interjected. "Alex is not going to say no to Steve. She loves him. Besides, if you didn't want the two to get married, you should have said now when Steve asked you permission for your daughter's hand in marriage."

"I only said yes to stars and stripes because I figure Alex will turn him down. She's not ready to get married. She just graduated," Tony pointed out.

"Tony," Pepper interrupted as she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, "I know you can't help but be an overprotective dad but, whatever decision Alex makes, you should be happy for her."

"I'm not overprotective," scoffed Tony as he took a sip of his drink. At that very moment, the elevator doors to the top floor of Stark towers opened.

"Here comes the bride," Christina sang in a low voice so that only Pepper and Tony could hear.

"Shut up!" Tony muttered under his breath.

"Mom, dad, Pepper," Alex greeted, "I'm so glad you're all here! Steve and I have some great news."

"Alex and I are getting married," Steve announced.

"Aww," Christina cooed as she pulled Alex in for a quick hug. "My little girl is getting married."

"Congratulations you two," chimed Pepper.

"Tony, are you alright?" Steve asked when he noticed Tony clearing his throat.

"Who Me? I'm fine. I just… I just didn't think Alex would say yes," Tony confessed.

"Tony," Steve stated with a hint of annoyance.

"I'm just joking. Congratulations, Alex. And Steve, I know I've told you this before but, you better not let anything happen to my little girl."

"Dad," Alex began as she intertwined her fingers with the super solider's, "I love Steve. You should trust him," she continued as she leaned forward to kiss the aforementioned man.

"I think this calls for a toast," Pepper commented. "I think Tony has some wine we could use. Let's go grab it."

"Good. I could use a drink," muttered Tony as he stood up to get himself another drink.

"I'll get the glasses," Christina chimed as she left the two alone.

When the two pulled away from each other, Steve smiled at Alex and whispered, "I love you too, Alex. And I promise I won't let anything happen to you.

Alex smiled back at him and whispered, "I know."

* * *

**A/N: Yay, chapter 2 :D Anyway, here's what my post schedule is looking like: one chapter a week until I figure out how much time I have to put into school, ok? reviews are more then welcome! Thanks for reading! -stace **


	3. Chapter 3

"Alright! I want to propose a toast," declared Tony as he stood up from his seat and raised his glass. "To Alex and Steve!"

"To Alex and Steve!" chorused everyone at the large table before they all took a sip from their glasses and resumed their conversations.

Alex smiled to herself before returning to her conversation. "Now, where was I?" she asked.

"You were just about to tell us how Steve proposed to you," said Kate Bishop, Clint's apprentice, with enthusiasm.

"Five bucks says he asked you after sex," Clint joked.

"Clint!" Natasha scolded. "Don't be a jerk. He's not you. Five bucks says Steve probably got a band, gave her a million roses, and confessed his undying love for her."

"Okay, you're both wrong," Alex's friend Monica interrupted [2]. "What Steve did was—"

"Hey, will you let me tell the story," Alex cut in.

Steve watched Alex as she told and retold their guest about how he proposed to her; and he smiled at how her hands would make gestures to demonstrate how they danced— and at how her eyes would light up when she talked about him getting down on one knee.

Steve finally broke his focus on Alex when he heard someone say 'congratulations'. He turned to see his friend, Sam Wilson, whom was better known as Falcon, walk toward him.

"Hi, Sam," Steve greeted. "Glad you could make it."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world. Besides, I think Alex's friend Monica is totally into me. Do you think you can set me up with her?" Sam asked.

"Only if you'll be my best man."

"Deal," responded Sam.

* * *

Sunlight entered the small room and hit Alex's face causing her to scrunch it in discomfort and shift her body sideways so that the light would hit her back instead. As she did this, Steve decided to also shift and adjust the arm he had had wrapped around Alex so he could pull her closer to his body in a new found position.

Alex smiled at Steve's actions for two reasons: the first being that she knew he always did this when she moved and it always made her feel like Steve was trying to protect her even in his sleep. The second reason was that it allowed her to feel his morning wood against her inner thigh. Alex's smile turned into a smirk when she heard Steve mumble her name into his pillow. 'Is he having a wet dream with me even after last night?' she thought to herself as she wriggled around his grip so her face was closer to his.

"Yes, Steve?" she whispered into his ear. "What do you want me to do to you?"

"I need you to touch me, Alex," Steve mumbled half-asleep.

"Of course, anything for my fiancé," she said seductively as she reached down and allowed her fingers to slightly graze his hard length over his boxers and give it a light squeeze.

The feeling of Alex's hand on his member caused Steve's to wake up.

"Alex, please don't tease me," grunted the sleepy super solider after he realized what Alex had done in order to wake him.

"Well you did say you wanted me to touch you," she teased which caused Steve to blush. "Aww, how cute," Alex said before she gave Steve a quick kiss. "Now come on, get up and get dressed, Pepper set up a meeting for us with the wedding planner at ten and I don't want to be late," she commanded as she got out of bed and made her way to the bathroom.

"Didn't we see him yesterday?" Steve questioned.

"Yes, but the wedding is four months away and there's still so much to do," she called out from the bathroom.

"Fine," Steve sighed.

"Also, remind me that I have to refill my birth control. I've been so busy with work and planning our wedding that I almost forgot."

"Okay, so wedding planner, birth control, anything else I should know?" Steve questioned as he stuck his head into the bathroom door.

"I love you," Alex smiled.

* * *

Alex examined the line of women all clad in the same navy blue dress that stood in front of her. She gave them all one last glance before she declared, "Lose the bow in the front, they make you girls look like a bunch of Christmas gifts."

"Thank God," Natasha sighed before she got out of the line to take said bow off her dress.

"You're welcome," Alex scoffed as she took a bite out of her sandwich.

"Now, Alex, put down your food. It's your turn to try on your dress," Christina stated before she took the food out of Alex's hand.

"But—food," Alex moaned in disappointment.

"Now, Alex. You'll get your sandwich back when you're finished," Pepper reassured.

Alex let out a long sigh before entering the changing room to try on her dress.

"How does it fit?" Christina asked from outside the changing room.

Alex did not respond. Instead she stepped out of her dressing room with her gown and veil on which caused Pepper and Christina to both gasp in amazement.

"Oh, sweetie, you look beautiful," uttered Christina.

"Thanks, mom," Alex replied with a smile. "But, can you tell the tailor to loosen it a bit. I want to be able to eat on my wedding day."

Pepper giggled at Alex's response. "Alex, I promise you'll be able to eat on your wedding day."

"Great," Alex grinned. "Now give me back my sandwich."

* * *

"Alex, I'm home," Steve announced as he entered their apartment suite [1]. "Did the caterer come over yet?" he asked, but received no response. "Alex?" he questioned as he entered their bedroom and heard strange sounds from the bathroom. He cautiously entered the bathroom only to find Alex hunched over the toilet emptying out the contents of her stomach.

"Alex, what happened?" he asked as he rushed to her side to hold her long hair back.

"Water," she groaned in response.

Steve immediately grabbed the bathroom cup from the cabinet that he kept for Alex's occasional hangovers and filled it with water from the sink before he handed it to her.

Alex took a gulp of the water and swished it around her mouth before she spat it out to get rid of the taste of vomit.

"Thank you, Steve," she mumbled before she got up and wiped her mouth.

"You're welcome," he responded. "So are you going to tell me what happened?"

"I'm late," Alex sighed as she existed the bathroom.

"Late?" Steve questioned as he followed her out. "Late for what?"

"My period is late," she stated plainly as she plopped herself on the bed.

"You mean you're pregnant?" Steve asked with a hint of excitement in his voice. "Alex's that's grea—"

"Or it can mean that all this wedding planning is stressing me out so much that it's effecting my menstrual cycle," Alex stated defensively.

"What's with the attitude? You don't want to have a baby with me?" Steve asked offended.

"No— I do," Alex began, "It's just— I don't want to get your hopes up, only to find out that I'm not pregnant. I know how disappointed you were the last time."

Steve let out a low sigh before he climbed on top of the bed and wrapped his arms around Alex from behind. "That doesn't matter, Alex," Steve whispered into her ear.

"What do you mean that doesn't matter, Steve?"

"I mean that you're going to be my wife soon and that's all that I care about for now. If you're pregnant then I hope our child with have your beautiful smile. If you're not that's okay because in a few weeks I'll be marrying the most gorgeous woman on earth."

"Really?" Alex asked as she turned to face him.

"Really, really," Steve responded which caused Alex to smile.

"Alright, then," Alex said as she got up from the bed. "Let's go find out."

* * *

Alex waited impatiently in the clinic room for the doctor to return with the test results.

"What's taking so long," Alex groaned. "The doctor said two o'clock it's 2:10 already."

"Relax Alex. If you wanted to know so badly then you should have done a home pregnancy test instead of going to the clinic and then waiting two days for the result," Steve pointed out

"You know I don't trust the drug store tests and I can't relax. I have a wedding to plan."

"That's why you have Pepper, Nat, and you're wedding planner for," Steve pointed out. "Now will you please relax?"

"I'll relax when we find out if I'm pregnant or n—"

"Hello Miss. Allweather," the doctor greeted as she entered the room. "How are you today?"

"I'm fine, but what's the verdict?" Alex asked impatiently.

"Well, according to your results, you are in fact pregnant," responded the doctor. "Now if you'd like, you can go to the front desk to set up an appointment with one of the obstetricians upstairs and they can tell you how far along you are—"

"Yes, that'd be great," Alex blurted out in excitement.

"Alright then, I'll leave you two alone," the doctor stated before she left the room and made her way to the office.

"So," Steve began as he turned his attention to Alex. "Are you glad you know now?" he asked as a small smile began to form on his face.

"Yes," Alex smirked before she leaned forward to kiss Steve. When she pulled away from him, she asked, "Are you excited to be a daddy?"

"Yes. I'm excited to start a family with you, and build a nursery for the baby, and finally be able to call Tony 'grandpa' for a change."

"Slow down there, Steve," Alex interrupted. "I still have a wedding to plan out. We can worry about doing all of that _after_ I walk down the aisle and say 'I do' to you. Okay?"

"I'm fine with that," Steve smiled.

* * *

When the doctor entered her office,she closed the door before taking a seat. While she going through her emails, she heard her office phone ring. The caller I.D read 'private'. Thinking that it was a patient, she casually answered the phone.

"Hello," she greeted.

"Mommy," she heard her child cry from the other line.

"Derek what's wrong? What happened?"

"There- there's a man in the house that said he would kill me," the young boy cried.

"Derek, put the man on the phone!" she exclaimed.

"Hello Dr. Parker. You have a lovely son," a deep voice from the other line stated.

"Leave him alone!" she demanded.

"Dr. Parker, your son's life rests in my hands. If you cooperate with me, I'll leave him alone. If not..."

"Wh-what do you want from me?" the doctor asked nervously.

"I need all the information you have on one of your patientz," they began, "Last name: Allweather. First name: Alex."

* * *

[1] Just so you guys know, Alex and Steve have been sharing a suite in Stark tower for about a year.

[2] Monica is Alex's old friend from high school. She's an African American women who majored in biology. I'm still developing her character though :/


	4. Chapter 4

Alex and Steve waited patiently for the obstetrician to enter the rooms that Alex could receive her first ultrasound. She and Steve were excited at the fact that they would get a first look at their unborn child as well as find out how far along the pregnancy Alex was.

"Hello," greeted the obstetrician. "You must be Alex. I'm Dr. Wong, I'll be performing your ultrasound today. Now if you could just lie down on the examination table there and lift up your shirt, we can get started," Dr. Wong stated as she walked over to the ultrasound machine and took out ultrasound gel from one of the cabinets.

Alex obliged, turning her attention, afterword's, to the blank image on the computer screen that would soon show her and Steve their baby.

"This might feel a little cold," Doctor Wong noted before Alex felt a cool sensation on her abdomen followed by the ultrasound transducer pressing against her.

Alex's eyes lit up when the image on the computer screen was no longer a blank one, but instead showed a series of grey waves and the outline of a tiny human head and body.

"Steve, look at our baby," Alex piped.

"I see," Steve responded as he observed the image on the screen. "He's a bit bigger than I thought her would be."

"Well," Dr. Wong interrupted, "Considering that Alex is about twelve weeks pregnant, I'd say that your child is just the right size."

"Wait—twelve weeks?"Alex asked in astonishment. "That's about three months."

"Indeed it is," Dr. Wong replied nonchalantly. "You should be due in April."

"Wow," Alex uttered as she inhaled deeply.

"Are you alright, Alex?" Steve asked with concern as he turned to face her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just— everything is happening a lot faster than I thought it would," Alex admitted.

"Alex, I'm so sorry," Steve began, "If you want to slow things down and postpone the wedding."

"And then have our baby born out of wedlock?" Alex gasped which caused Steve to lift an eyebrow in confusion. "That was a joke," Alex sighed. "It's fine. Everything is fine. I'm just a little overwhelmed with what's going on, but don't worry."

"Alex, are you sure you're okay with everything?"

"Of course I am," she reassured Steve while she thinking, "_Am I really ready for all of this_?"

* * *

"No, no, no. I need the banner to be a bit higher," Alex instructed two of the decorators.

"Alex, it's just a banner. It's not a big deal," Monica pointed out.

"I know, it's just—the wedding is tomorrow and—"

"And you need to stop stressing and come have fun with me and the girls tonight," Monica interrupted.

"But—"

"No buts!" Monica declared as she placed her hands on Alex's shoulders and led her out of the reception hall.

"Monica, where are you taking me?" Alex questioned as she was lead to a red convertible in which Natasha and a two other of her female friends were. Alex raised an eyebrow as she noted that everyone was clad in a party dress and their hair and make-up was a bit 80's.

"Isn't it obvious?" Monica questioned as she walked over to the driver's seat and went in. "We're going to your bachelorette party."

"But we're in Long Island [1]. There's no place to party here!" Alex exclaimed.

"Girl, the city is only a hop, skip and a jump away," Monica stated. "Besides, why should lover boy have all the fun before the big day?"

"Okay fine," Alex sighed as she opened the car door and sat in the passenger seat. "But no alcohol for me, I don't want to have to deal with a hangover before tomorrow's ceremony.

"Come on, one or two shots won't kill you," Monica begged with pleading eyes.

"It's never one or two shots with you," Alex stated plainly, her hazel eyes staring down Monica's chocolate brown ones.

"Fine, okay," Monica huffed as she put the car into drive and made her way onto the highway.

Alex sighed in relief that Monica had believed her reasons for not wanting to drink. She and Steve had wanted to keep her pregnancy a secret and Alex thought that avoiding alcohol until after the wedding would have raised suspicions. Thankfully, it didn't.

"So," Alex began as she took a glimpse of the girls from the review mirror, "What's with 80's dos? Where are we going?"

"Monica thought it would be a good idea to party like it was 1989 [2]," Natasha answered as she handed Alex a bag with clothes in it. "Here, change into these before we get to the venue."

Alex looked through the contents of the bag. It had contained a short white dress similar to Natasha's and a plastic tiara veil.

"So who's idea was it make me stick out like a sore thumb?" Alex asked sarcastically. "I mean honestly, why didn't you just get me a sash saying 'Here Comes the Bride'."

"The store was out of those sashes," Monica giggled. "And it was my idea—brides get free things like lap dances," she teased.

"Monica—I swear, if you're taking me to a strip club—" Alex warned as her face began to turn red.

"Alex. I promise, you're going to have fun," Monica reassured.

* * *

Monica had been right; Alex was having the most fun she had had since she had gotten engaged. As she moved her body to the beat of the song, she allowed her worries about the wedding to slip away and decided to sing along to the song playing.

"I want to be the one to walk in the sun," Alex sung off key.

"Oh, girls just want to have fun," Monica and a few other women at the venue chorused.

When the song had finished playing, the DJ had announced that the next song was a slow song.

"Monica, come over here," Alex requested. "You're slow dancing with me."

"Umm…you do know slow dancing is just a classy way to feel people up before they have sex in the bathroom, right?" Monica commented.

"No it's not," Alex scoffed. "And if it is, I hope you brought protection," Alex joked as Monica moved closer to her, hugged her and began to move to music.

"Well, if we do end up doing it, then you can't marry Steve. Once you go black, you can't go back," Monica teased.

"Thanks for the warning," Alex giggled as she followed Monica's steps. "And thank you for the bachelorette party. I really needed it."

"You're welcome. I'm glad you liked it. So, are you ready for tomorrow?"

"Of course," Alex replied with a smile.

* * *

[1] So Alex is getting married in Long Island which is why she's there

[2] My editor thought '1989' was a fall of the Berlin wall reference, but it's not. If you google Awesome 80's Prom (which is where Alex is having her bacholorete party) it's states it set in 1989

**A/N:** Okay so this is the last chapter before the wedding and all the drama starts and you're going to be in for a big surprise. I hoped you liked the chapter. Reviews are always awesome -stace


	5. Chapter 5

Alex stared at her reflection in the mirror, her mouth agape in amazement— every strand of her usually messy hair was in place, neatly in a low bun, her makeup was simple but emphasized her eyes, and her grown hid the small bump that had been developing on her midsection.

"Alex, sweetie, you look gorgeous," Christian cooed.

"Steve is going to be in awe when he sees you walking down the aisle," complimented Pepper.

"Thanks, mom," Alex replied. She smiled softly to herself as thought about how Steve would react. '_He would probably be at a loss for words,_' she thought to herself as she recalled the numerous times Steve would be speechless or stumble on his words when she would dress up for their anniversary dates. _'I hope he doesn't stumble on his words when he's saying his vows...'_

"I'd just wish you'd take off that darn bracelet," Christina stated as she gestured at the bracelet Alex had made with (and used against) her father two years ago. "It doesn't really go with your dress and it's not like you need it or anything," continued Christina.

"Mom," Alex whined. "You know I never take it off."

"But, Alex—"

"Don't worry, Christina," Pepper interrupted as she took out a small velvet bag out of her purse. "I have just the thing you need." Pepper reached into the velvet bag and pulled out a set of earrings and a necklace that matched Alex's bracelet.

"Wait, where did you get those?" Alex questioned as Pepper handed her the jewelry.

"Well the necklace is an old one of mine that I don't wear any more so you can borrow it and the earrings I convinced Tony to buy for you just in case," explained Pepper.

"Wow, Pepper. You really are prepared for anything," Alex stated amazed.

Pepper nodded in agreement. "Well, I'm going to go see how everyone else is. If you need me for anything let me know," Pepper stated as she existed the room.

"Now all I need is something new and something blue," Alex muttered to herself as she began putting on the earrings.

"Sweetie, is everything alright?" Christina asked concerned as she watched her daughter's hands tremble while she tried to put on her earrings. "Do you need help?"

"I'm fine," Alex lied as she continued to attempt to put on the earrings, missing the hole each time. Alex muttered curses under her breath as she poked every part of her earlobe but the pierced hole. She suddenly felt another hand grab hers gently and pulled the earrings away from her.

"Alex, you don't need to be nervous," Christina assured Alex as she put on Alex's earring for her followed by the necklace. "Everything is going to be alright, kiddo," whispered Christina as she gave Alex's shoulder a small squeeze.

"Mom, there's something I have to tell you," Alex admitted. "Steve and I were going to wait until after the wedding to tell people, but I can't keep it to myself anymore," she sighed. "I'm pregnant."

Alex waited for a gasp or for her mother's eyes to widen in shock, but instead she saw Christina smiling at her in response.

"Alex, I already knew that."

"How?" Alex asked as she raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"I'm a nurse, Alex. I noticed you vomiting a lot and the small bump that you're trying to hide with your dress. Nice job hiding it by the way."

Before Alex could breathe a word, she heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," she responded.

Tony had poked his head inside and stated, "The ceremony is going to start soon. Christina, you might want to take your seat."

"Thank you, Tony," Christina stated plainly before whispering 'don't worry' to Alex and leaving the room.

"Alex, do you want me to wait with you here?" Tony asked.

"No, it's okay—I have to use the bathroom," Alex lied. "I'll meet you in the hall in a few minutes."

"Okay, then. You look beautiful by the way," Tony said with a smile. "I can't believe you're getting married already."

"Thanks dad. I can't believe it either."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Tony joked. "Because we can always ditch the wedding and go get burgers or something—"

"Dad!" Alex interrupted. "I want to marry Steve."

"I know you do. I'll see you soon," Tony stated before he closed the door and left Alex alone.

Alex turned to look at her reflection in the mirror before whispering to herself, "I want to marry Steve."However, she didn't feel so sure of her words so she closed her eyes and let out a long sigh before she opened them again and saying with confidence, "I want to marry Steve."

"I'm going to walk down that aisle and say 'I do' to him," Alex rambled, becoming oblivious to her surroundings. "Then we're going to dance and eat at the reception and have our honey moon and when we get back we're going to tell everyone the big news and everything is going to be perfect."

"Aww, what a cute little future you have planned out for yourself," someone interrupted.

Alex turned her attention to the person who was talking only to find that it that one of the waiters that was preparing for the reception that was in the room.

"Umm…yeah," Alex uttered awkwardly as she stared at the waiter confused. "I'm sorry, but shouldn't you be getting things ready for the reception?" she asked, trying not to sound rude.

"Oh no. I 'm not a waiter," the fake waiter stated bluntly."I'm actually here to kidnap you," he said with a smirk on his face.

"What?"Alex asked in disbelief.

"You're coming with me," the kidnapper stated plainly as he pulled out a gun from his back pocket and aimed it at Alex.

"Like hell I am!" Alex exclaimed as she raised her right arm and aimed her bracelet at his gun, shooting at it causing the gun to fly out of the kidnapper's hands.

"Now who do you work for?" Alex demanded as she aimed her bracelet at the kidnapper.

"Feisty, aren't we?" the kidnapper mocked. "But you're coming with me," he continued as he stepped forward to punch Alex in the face.

Alex, however, quickly stepped backed and blocked his attack, grateful that she still remembered a few things from Clint and Steve's training. She then attempted to roundhouse kick him in the head, but her wedding gown limited her range of motion and was only able to kick his torso, sending him a few steps back. Alex took that opportunity to run for the door.

"Dad!" Alex attempted to call out, but she felt a large hand cover her mouth, immediately preventing her from speaking and pulling her close to the kidnapper.

"Shut up!" the kidnapper demanded as he used his free hand to reach into one of his front pockets.

Alex grunted in response and began kicking and squirming as an attempt to break free from his grasp, but had no luck.

"Now be a good girl and settle down," the kidnapper whispered into Alex's ear as he placed a cholorform soaked rag over her face.

Alex protested and continued to squirm around, but soon she felt herself lose control over her limbs and her vision being to become blurry.

'_Steve, help me,'_ Alex thought as she slipped into a state of unconsciousness.

"I've got the girl," the kidnapper said into a small microphone in his collar. "She's unconscious so go with plan B."

"Copy," replied the kidnapper's partner into the ear piece.

The kidnapper laid Alex's body on the floor and eyed the bracelet she had used to attack him.

"Better get rid of this," he said to himself as he removed Alex's bracelet and tossed it to aside.

* * *

"Hi, Monica," Tony greeted as he spotted her coming from where the bathrooms were. "Have you seen Alex?"

"No, I haven't. Why?" Monica asked.

"She was supposed to be here by now. I'm going to see what's holding her up," Tony stated as he began to make his way back to Alex's room.

"Do you want me to come with you?" she asked.

"No, it's okay. Besides the ceremony is about to start."

Steve waited nervously in front of the altar as the ceremony began. He watched as the bridesmaids were being escorted down the aisle by the groomsmen and took their place to either side of him in front of the aisle. The next one to walk down the aisle was Monica who was being escorted by Sam. As Monica took her place next to where Alex would be, she mouthed to Steve 'relax' which caused Steve to smile as he waited for Alex to walk down the aisle with Tony.

After the flower-girl and ring-bearer made their ways down the aisle, the pianist went from playing 'Canon in D major' to the intro of 'Here Comes the Bride'.

"All rise for the bride," the minster announced as everyone stood up and waited for Alex to appear. Steve bit on his lip anticipating Alex's entrance, however, no such entrance was made. As time passed, Steve heard guests whispering things like 'Where is she?' and 'Did she leave him at the altar?' His heart sank at the idea of Alex leaving him at the altar especially since he knew how nervous she had been at how quickly things were changing.

"I can't believe it," Steve uttered after twenty minutes passed and there was no sign of Alex.

"Maybe it's not what you think," Monica stated hopefully. "Maybe she had too many breakfast burritos; you know how she gets when—"

"Nice try, Monica," Steve said as he gave her a half smile before the heartbroken super soldier exited the service room and made his way to the bride's room where he hoped Alex would be.

When he entered the room, he found Tony standing there alone.

"She's not here, Cap," Tony sighed. "She's not anywhere. She's gone."

"No," Steve stated in disbelief. "She wouldn't just leave like that."

"I'm sorry, Steve. But she did."

Steve's stared at the ground trying to figure out why Alex had decided to leave him. While he stared at the ground, his eyes caught a glimpse of something small shining on the floor and walked over to said object.

"What do you have there?" Tony asked.

"It's Alex's bracelet," he gasped.

"What do you mean 'Its Alex's bracelet'?"

"Take a look for yourself," Steve said as he handed over the bracelet to Tony.

Tony examined the bracelet, his eyes widening when he realized it was the bracelet that he had made with Alex. "That's impossible. Alex never takes off her bracelet."

"I know she doesn't," Steve stated. "And yet, it's still here."

* * *

**A/N:** Dun dun dun~ I hope you guys enjoyed please leave some reviews or your thougts/reactions to this chapter because my friend/editor would love to know since she helped me plot this. Also, if anyone is a Klaus fan from 'The Vampire Diaries' please check out her new fic called 'The Fearless & The Fearmonger' by IheartJack0023 it would mean a lot to me. Thank you. Next Chapter is going to be up next Sunday -stace


	6. Chapter 6

"There has to be a logical explanation for Alex not having her bracelet with her," Tony remarked as he began thinking of reasons.

"Like what?" Steve questioned.

"Like…Christina didn't want her to wear it because it clashed with her dress," Tony rambled. "Although I don't know why since Pepper made me buy those earrings for her in case Christina would complain about that," he mumbled.

"Well, if that were the case, then why was it on the floor?"

Before Tony could answer Steve's question, Christina and Pepper entered the room.

"Guys, what's going on?" Pepper asked. "Where's Alex."

"I don't know," Tony sighed.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Christina questioned. "Weren't you the last person to talk to her?"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I know where she is," Tony pointed out. "I looked all over the church for her and all I found was her bracelet," Tony continued as she showed it to Christina.

"This can't be!"Christina uttered in disbelief when she saw the bracelet in front of her eyes. Christina stood in silence for a while before she asked, "What did you say to her?"

"What do you mean 'what did I say to her'? What does that have to do anything with—"

"She was a little nervous when Pepper and I were getting her ready," Christina interrupted. "Did you say anything to upset her?"

"No I didn't. I just told her that if she wanted to she could ditch the wedding and we could go grab some burgers, but it was a joke."

"How is that a joke?" Steve asked as he stared at Tony in annoyance.

"She laughed—kind of."

"Damn it, Tony. She probably got mad at you for saying that and threw her bracelet on the floor before running off to God knows where!" Christina exclaimed in frustration.

"Oh, really? You're going to blame this on me?"

"Why else would she run off like that?"

"Both of you calm down," Pepper intervened. "Look, Alex couldn't have gone far. I'm sure we'll find her and she can explain to us why she ran off. Isn't that right, Steve?"

However, the groom had made his way out of the room and onto the church grounds in hopes of running into Alex.

'Where are you?' Steve thought to himself as he ran around the gardens that he knew she loved. His eyes caught a glimpse of a brown haired women walking aimlessly through the gardens by herself and, thinking that it was his bride to be, Steve immediately ran over to her.

"Alex!" he called out as he stretched his arm out to touch her shoulder.

The woman gasped in surprise at his touch and turned to face Steve.

"Oh my God! You scared the crap out of me," she mumbled.

"Sorry," Steve apologized when he realized that the woman was not Alex. "I thought you were someone else."

"It's fine," the woman said as she walked away, leaving Steve by himself.

Steve clenched his fist in frustration before he let out along sigh and pulled out his phone. He immediately dialed Alex's number and waited patiently for her to pick up. When she did not he inhaled deeply before allowing it to go to voice mail and, preparing the words he was going to say.

"Hi, Alex— It's Steve. I just wanted to let you know that I'm not mad at you; I just want to make sure you're okay. You're mom was telling me about how nervous you were, so I understand. I love you, Alex and wherever you are I hope you're safe."

* * *

Alex woke up a few hours later with her back aching. She shot open her eyes and became confused by her surroundings: a small faucet in one corner, a toilet in another, four brick walls surrounding her, a large metal door in one of them. She looked down and realized two things. The first being that she was a on top of a lumpy mattress with blood stained sheets ;the second being that she was no longer wearing her wedding dress. Instead, she was clad in an over sized T-shirt and a pair of shorts.

'What the hell?' Alex thought to herself trying to remember what had happened. As she began recalling recent events, she heard footsteps from outside the room coming closer.

The large metal door creaked open and the man who she recalled fighting with earlier was standing in the doorway.

"Well, look who's finally up," the kidnapper stated with a sinister smile as he entered the small room.

"Where am I?" Alex demanded as she raised her left arm prepared to use her bracelet against him once more. However, when she looked down at her wrist, her eyes widened in shock when she realized it was no longer there.

"Yeah, not so tough now are you?" he mocked as he grabbed her by the wrist. "Come on, you're coming with me."

"No. Let go of me!" Alex demanded as she tried to pull herself out of his grip, but was unsuccessful.

"Nice try, sweet cheeks," but you don't have anything against—ow! "

The kidnapper winced in pain as he felt Alex's nails digging into the sensitive area of his underarm and loosening his grip on her in response [1] which allowed Alex to free herself from and began making an escape.

Alex flew down the hall and made a sharp left in hopes that she would find a way to escape before he caught up with her, but, instead, she bumped into three people dressed in the same uniform.

"Hey, who are you?" questioned one of the uniformed men.

"I—," Alex mumbled unsure of what to say.

"Guards!" the kidnapper called out. "Stop her!"

Alex looked back and saw that he had caught up to her, but before she could move, she felt a pair of hands grab both of her arms from behind her.

"This must be the girl the boss has been waiting for," one of guards said to the other.

"Come on, let's take her to the lab."

"No. Let me go," Alex protested as they carried her to a large room with various machines that resembled medical equipment and a metal examination table in the center.

"What are you doing to me?" Alex exclaimed as the guards placed her on the examination table and began to strap her down.

"So this is her?" asked a woman clad in a white lab coat as she walked over to Alex. "Okay, well let's set her up and run some tests on her to make sure everything is okay?"

"Hey, spoiler alert: I'm not okay! In case you haven't noticed, I've been kidnapped," Alex remarked.

"Gag her if you need to," the woman sighed before she began injecting an IV needle into Alex's arm.

* * *

"Come on, pick up. Pick up. Pick up," Steve repeated into his phone only to hear the words 'you have reached the voice mail box of Alex Stark please leave a message after the tone'.

"Dammit," Steve cursed under his breath before hanging up.

"Steve, please don't be upset," Christina pleaded as she squeezed his shoulder in comfort.

"How can I not be upset?" Steve scoffed. "Alex is gone. I have no idea where she is or whether or not she's safe, and there's nothing that I can do about it."

"Steve, I know it's hard for you, but you have to be calm so you can figure out a way to find out what happened to her."

"Yeah, Steve. You're her fiancé. Instead of just sitting around moping about how she's not here, why don't you actually do something about it?" Tony scoffed.

"Well, what do you want me to do?"Steve asked aggravated. "I've been looking for her for hours and I've found no sign of her."

"I don't know, but don't just sit around. You promised Alex that you wouldn't let anything happen to her when you proposed to her and look what's happened," Tony ranted. "You're not even married to her yet and she's already mysteriously disappeared. If I would have known that this was going to happen, I would have never said yes to you when you asked me for her hand in marriage."

"Well, why don't _you_ do something? You're her father and you're probably the reason why she left," snapped Steve.

"Fine, I will," Tony responded as he made his way outside in a pursuit to find his daughter. Tony waited until he was outside to activate his Mark 42 armor.

"JARVIS," Tony stated as the armor from his suit began to cover his body.

"Yes, sir," JARVIS responded.

"I'm going to need you to access all security camera footage from my location from about twelve hours ago and run a facial recognition search."

"Accessing footage now. May I ask who is it that you are searching for?"

"Alex. And I'm sure as hell going to find her," Tony stated with determination.

* * *

[1] So I was looking up self defense for woman and one thing that was effective was pinching your attacker in sensitive areas like the under arm and inner thigh with a lot of force. I tried doing this with my brother who is much stronger than I am and it worked so if (god forbid) anything happens to any of you, try that technique

**A/N:** I hope you guys enjoyed let me know your thoughts about this chapter and also two things: 1) like with my first Alex story, I'm working on a gif and photo archive for this story and once I have it semi established, I'll include a link to anyone who is interested 2) I'm not sure if I'll be posting a chapter next week. I really want to, but I'm behind my writing schedule (usually I would have next week's chapter finished and sent to my friend to edit but this isn't the case) and I'm not sure when I'll be writing or if I'll have the motivation to :( truth be told, I haven't had a lot of motivation to do anything as of late and it's starting to effect me academically, it's effecting the things I used to take interest in (including plotting and writing) and a few other things. So I'm not going to write until I get my shit together and catch up on school and I'm not going to post the next chapter is (to my standards) amazing. So sorry about that and the long rant. ~stace


	7. Chapter 7

Alex lay wide awake on top of the lumpy mattress trying to process what had happened to her in the last few hours. She was drugged, kidnapped, strapped to an examination table, poked with needles, had various tests done to her, and then was thrown back into a room that resembled a prison cell— but what for?

The only reason she could come up with was that they were using her as a subject for something.

'That would explain all the medical exams they did to me yesterday,' Alex thought as she turned so that she was lying on her side. 'But why me? There's seven billion people to choose from, what makes me so special? Maybe they're using me to get to me dad?'

Alex sighed quietly to herself as her hand grazed the small bump on her stomach. "You know what, squishy?" Alex began as she decided at that moment the nickname she would use for her unborn child, "I hope that guy who kidnapped us honestly thought it was a good idea because I know he's going to regret it the second your father and grandfather find us."

From the distance, Alex could hear the sound of footsteps approaching her cell door. The door creaked open and a female guard with a metal food tray entered. Alex raised an eyebrow in suspicion. She was anticipating her kidnapper to enter, not a guard, and she was expecting to be taken somewhere not to be given food.

"Here you go. Eat up." the guard stated apathetically as she passed Alex the tray.

Alex eyed the bowl of oatmeal and the glass of orange juice that lay in front of her before asking, "Is this your way of poisoning me?"

"Yes. We're trying to kill you with a balanced meal," the guard responded sarcastically.

"You call this a balanced meal?" Alex questioned as she poked at the oatmeal with a spoon.

"Well, it's more balanced than the sugary, fatty diet you've been on," the guard said bluntly.

"How did you—"

"It showed up on your test results," the guard interrupted.

Alex said nothing as she continued to stare at the food like a child.

"Look— eat it or don't eat it. I don't care, but don't blame me when the doctor is feeding you through a tube," the guard scoffed before exiting Alex's cell and locking the door behind her.

"You know what, squishy? It may not be a bacon, egg, and cheese but, I'm hungry," Alex muttered before scooping up a spoonful of oatmeal and putting it in her mouth.

She cringed the instant the cold goo touched her tongue and fought the urge to spit it out. After forcing herself to swallow, Alex immediately reached for the juice and took a large gulp in order to wash out the cold oatmeal taste.

"Okay; hungry or not, that was just gross. I want pancakes," Alex sighed as she allowed her mind to wander.

She became so engulfed with her thoughts of the pancakes her mother would make her when she went to visit that she didn't notice the door to her cell opening again.

"Morning," greeted a male voice sinisterly.

Alex looked up to see the man that had kidnapped her standing in her cell doorway.

"Wow First I get crappy oatmeal. Then I have to see you. If the reason why you kidnapped me was to torture me, you're doing a fantastic job," Alex said sarcastically.

"Very funny," the kidnapper stated not amused. "Now, come on. The doctor and the master need to see you."

"Whoa—Doctor? Master?" Alex scoffed. "Am I on some crack episode of Doctor Who?"

"Will you just shut up and follow me?" the kidnapper said annoyed.

Alex got up from the mattress and walked over to him but before she could exit, she felt a gun being pressed against her jaw.

"Oh, and if you try to escape like you did yesterday, I'll shoot you. Understand?"

Alex remained silent.

"I'll take that as a yes," the kidnapper stated as he removed his gun from Alex's jaw and began walking in the direction of the lab from the previous day.

Upon entering the lab, Alex asked, "So who's this master you were talking about?"

"He's the man in charge. Can't you tell by the title, genius?" the kidnapper answered condescendingly.

"Wel,l first off, considering that you were the one that kidnapped me, I thought you were the one in charge. Secondly, no one calls their boss 'master' unless they're a maid which I wouldn't put past you," teased Alex.

"You know what?" the kidnapper said as he took out his gun and aimed it at Alex.

"That's enough," the doctor interjected causing the kidnapper to turn his attention to the female doctor. "I'll take it from here Agent Jones."

Agent Jones gave Alex one last glance before putting away his gun and leaving the laboratory.

"So," the doctor began, "are you going to go on the examination table like a good girl or are we going to have to strap you down like a child like we did yesterday?"

"I don't know, maybe I'll stop acting like a child when you stop treating me like one and tell me why the hell I'm here," Alex pointed out.

"You have something that my boss wants. Was that so hard to figure out?" the doctor responded nonchalantly. "Now lift up your shirt and lay down. "

Alex reluctantly did as she was told and lay down on the examination table. From the corner of her eye she could see another figure enter the room and make their way over to the doctor. She overhead the two talking about tests result and various other things which made Alex conclude that this new person was the boss that Agent Jones was talking about.

"So this is her?" the unknown person asked as they walked over to the examination table that Alex was lying down on.

"She has a name, you know," Alex began as she sat up to look at the person whose idea it was to take her. "And her name is—"

However, Alex immediately became silent when she realized exactly who the boss was. 'It can't be,' she thought as she was overwhelmed with fear. 'I thought he died a long time ago.'

"Her name is Alexandria Stark: the soon to be Mrs. Rogers. Or at least you were until I captured you," the boss taunted.

"Voldemort?" Alex asked as she squinted her eyes at the man in front of her to hide her fear. "I thought you died at the Battle of Hogwarts."

After her sly remark, Alex felt his hand smack her across the face causing a stinging sensation on her left cheek.

"Fool. Do you have any idea who you are dealing with?"

"Darth Mauls' grandfather," Alex responded which earned herself another slap to the face.

Alex clenched her fist trying not to focus on the pain. "What do you want from me, Red Skull? Did you drag me here to get to Steve so you can use him for whatever insane super solider project you have going on?"

"Do you honestly think that I'd waste my time on someone like him? Someone so weak?"

"If he's so weak, then why did he defeat you in the past?"

"Silence!" Red Skull exclaimed.

Refusing to give into his orders, Alex replied, "You know you should wear some sunblock. You're burnt down to the bone."

Red Skulll, who had enough of Alex's clever remarks grabbed her by neck and began to squeeze it; slowly suffocating her in the process.

"Boss," the doctor stated firmly.

Red Skull slowly released his grip on Alex, knowing very well that she was no use to him dead.

"As I assume you know, the super solider serum enhances various physical attributes and various attempts of duplication with the serum that Steve Rogers was given have been made. Some of the attempts have been made with some success while others have caused mutation on the human bodies that do not know how to handle the effects of the serum. For the past few years Hydra has been working on a way to ensure that the serum will not cause mutation and will be one hundred percent effective. And then you came along: a human being with the genetic code of a super solider inside of them."

"Okay, slow down," Alex interrupted. "I'm Alex _Stark_—as in the great Tony Stark, son of Howard Stark. And even though my grandfather was part of the Super Solider project, that doesn't mean he nor I are the key to your precious serum."

"I'm not interested in you. I'm interested in the child growing inside of you. A child that is genetically half-human and half super-human."

"Don't you dare hurt my baby," Alex warned as her maternal instincts began to kick in.

"I wouldn't dream of it. I need that child alive and well; so get comfortable. You're going to be here for a while."

* * *

"I hope she's okay," Steve uttered as he looked at his phone for any new messages.

"Steve, Alex is a strong girl. I'm sure that wherever she is, she's fine," Christina reassured.

"It's not just her I'm worried about," Steve began as he mentally prepared himself to tell Christina the news he and Alex had been saving until after the wedding. "You see, Christina, the thing is, Alex is—"

"Steve, I've got a lead," Tony asked as he entered the room.

"What is it?"

"It's a car that showed up at the church before the ceremony started," Tony began to explain. "At first I thought that it belonged to the catering company or something, but when I ran its plates, it didn't match with any car from the band, the florist, or any of the guests. It's not much, but it's better than anything you came up with, so are you in?"

"When do we start?"

* * *

**A/N:** I did it! I was actually able to write this chapter! Hope you guys like the plot twist because I loved writing this chapter. I especially loved writing Alex's more sarcastic side (which will come into play later on). Also, fun fact: the bit where Alex tells Red Skull he needs sunblock was added last minute because I saw a gif of Red Skull and Dr. doofenshmirtz and my friend told me I had to add that. -stace


	8. Chapter 8

Alex let out a sigh as she pulled off her covers and sat on her bed with her legs crossed. She began to fiddle with the necklace that Steve had given her two Christmases ago as her mind processed the recent events that had occurred. She became so lost in thought that she almost didn't notice the person shuffling beside her.

"Hey, are you awake?" asked a tired voice.

"Sorry, Steve," Alex apologized. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"Don't worry about it," Steve responded as he pushed the blankets off of himself and sat up next to Alex. "Is everything alright?"

"I'm fine. I was just thinking about stuff and realized that I'm going to be a mom," Alex stated plainly.

"Yeah and you're going to be a great one," Steve grinned as he leaned forward and pressed his lips against her shoulder.

"But what if I'm not?" Alex blurted. "I don't know anything about raising a child. What if I end up being the worst mother ever and our kid hates me?"

"Alex that's ridiculous."

"That's easy for you to say," Alex sighed. "You're going to be an amazing father."

"Really?" Steve questioned as he raised an eyebrow. "And why is that?"

"It's because you're kind, and patient, and sweet, but also firm and fair and overall perfect father material," Alex pointed out. "And I'm none of those things."

"That's because you're going to be a mom, not a dad," Steve chuckled. "Besides, you're caring, loving, and willing to do anything to protect the ones you love. That's what's going to make you a great mom. And remember, this parenting thing is a two person job and I'm going to be with you every step of the way so stop worrying about it."

"I guess you're right," Alex sighed. "I have nothing to worry about…except for building the crib, and setting up the nursery and—"

"Alex, don't worry. We have plenty of time for everything. Now get some rest," Steve stated as he went back to lying on the bed.

"Okay fine, but promise me you'll start working on the nursery after the wedding," Alex replied as she took her spot next to him with her back pressed against his chest.

"I promise," Steve whispered as he wrapped his arm around her waist.

* * *

"Steve," Alex mumbled into her pillow until the sound of her cell door opening woke her.

"Breakfast time," the female guard declared as she entered the cell carrying a metal tray.

'It was only a dream,' Alex thought as the tray of food was placed in front of her.

"Eat up," the guard stated as Alex examined the cup of green liquid on the tray.

"What is this?" Alex questioned.

"It's vegetable juice. It contains a lot of the vitamins you need."

"You could have just given me vitamin pills or a V8," Alex pointed out.

"Well, you eat what I give you," the guard stated before exiting the cell.

Alex took a sip of the vegetable juice and immediately regretted it.

"Okay no," Alex mumbled as she put down the cup of juice and proceeded in poking at the scrambled egg on the plate.

"You know what. Forget it. I'm not eating," Alex said to herself as she threw the juice and eggs into the toilet.

"I'm sorry squishy. I know you need me to eat, but I can't," she sighed.

"Just wait until you're daddy comes then we can have pizza, and chicken, and anything else you want."

* * *

"So why is it that Natasha and I are in Tennessee?" Steve asked into his cell phone.

"Apparently the person who was driving the unknown van was a twenty nine year old woman named Suzan Alverez, and according to what I found, she's just outside Nashville, Tennessee," Tony responded from the other line.

"Okay, so why aren't you here? Don't you want to find Alex too?" Steve questioned.

"Of course I want to find her and I'm going to, but someone has to be here going through nationwide surveillance in case Alex pops up anywhere," Tony replied. "Anyway, you and Natasha have to figure out what this person knows," Tony said before he hung up.

Steve grunted in frustration before he put his phone back in his pocket and approached the address Tony have given them.

"Don't worry, Steve. If this Suzan knows anything that can help us find Alex, I'll get it out of her," Natasha stated before knocking on the door.

"Just a second," responded a female from inside the house. After a few seconds, the front door opened to reveal a tall woman with blonde hair standing in front of the two.

"How can I help you?" the women asked.

"Hello Miss Alverez, I'm detective Swanson. This is my partner detective Smith. We're with the Nashville police force and we'd like to ask you some questions regarding a missing person, if you don't mind," Natasha stated plainly.

"Umm…sure. Come right in and call me Suzan," Suzan responded as she stepped aside to allow Steve and Natasha to enter.

Suzan led the two into her living room and gestured them to take a seat.

"Can I get you anything? Water? Coffee? Tea?" Suzan rambled.

"We're fine, Suzan. We'd just like to know if you've seen anything suspicious over the last week. Any new people or unfamiliar vehicles," Natasha asked authoritatively.

"No, I haven't seen anything. I've been away for a bit," Suzan stated, clearing her throat afterward.

"Oh, really? Where did you go?"

"I don't think that's of any importance," Suzan began.

"Ma'am, just answer the question," Steve interrupted, catching Suzan off guard.

"I—I went to Philadelphia to visit my brother and his wife."

"And you haven't seen this woman?" Natasha asked as she pulled out a photo from her bag and handed it to Suzan. "She was last seen in Nashville last Friday."

"Impossible," Suzan uttered as she examined the brunette woman in the photo.

"Excuse me, what was that?" Natasha asked.

"I said it's impossible for me to have seen her. I've been away— remember?" Suzan stated nervously.

Natasha examined Suzan momentarily before she asked, "Why are you lying?"

"What?" Suzan asked in confusion. "I'm not lying, detective. I told you I don't know who Alex is nor have I seen her before."

"How did you know her name if you've never seen her before?" Steve asked as he clenched his fist.

"You said her name when you introduced yourselves," Suzan lied.

"No we did not. Now tell me everything you know, or I swear I will—"

"Steve, leave." Natasha ordered.

"There's no way I'm going to—"

"Yes, you are because if you stay here you're going to end up hurting this woman and that's not going to help. Now, go wait for me outside."

"Fine," Steve said as he reluctantly got up from his seat. "But you better find out everything."

"I already told you I would," Natasha replied as she watched Steve exit the house.

"So what's the news?" Steve asked as he saw Natasha leave the house.

"She doesn't know where Alex is."

"That's impossible," Steve interrupted. "She—"

"She was just a random woman who was used to take Alex from the church to a port in Rhode Island. I already sent Tony the location of where she was dropped off and he's looking into it."

"Nat, there's got to be more than that. Did you find out who wanted Alex and why they took her?" Steve asked.

"She didn't know who she was helping. They just gave her cash to drive," Natasha replied.

"Really, Nat? You're a spy and that's all you got out of her? Look, I'm going to go back and find out—"

"Steve! I already found out everything she knows."

"You don't know that."

"Yes I do," Natasha asserted. "Look, I know you want to find Alex, but you have to be rational. You can't just come in ready to hurt someone in hopes that they'll tell you what you want to hear."

"You do it all the time," Steve pointed out.

"When the time calls for it and this wasn't one of those times."

"Look, Nat. It' not just Alex I'm worried about," begun Steve. "It's—"

"Your kid," she interrupted. "Suzan told me that whoever kidnapped Alex knew she was pregnant."

"That's not possible," Steve said in disbelief. "The only person who knew about that besides Alex and I was her doctor."

"Well then I guess we have to pay a visit to Alex's doctor."

* * *

**A/N:**Cliff Hanger, hanging from a cliff~ And that's why he's called Cliff Hanger! (my friend died laughing and got mad at me when I wrote that part). Any way, I hope you enjoyed. Sorry if it was a little dry. I just really needed to set things up for the next chapter which will be a bit more intense :| -stace


	9. Chapter 9

Alex was staring at the wall when she heard the door to her cell open indicating that the guard had come to bring Alex her meal. Alex turned her head to face the guard and the guard was in shock when she made contact with Alex's face— the whites of her eyes had a pink tint to them and dark rings circled her eyes.

"What happened to you?" the guard questioned as she slowly approached Alex, placing the food tray on the floor as she got a better look.

"I haven't slept in two days. Can't you tell?" Alex replied sarcastically, her voice horse.

"Why haven't you been getting enough sleep? That's not good for the baby."

"I haven't slept because I have this damn pain in my stomach from not eating that keeps me up at night," Alex answered in a raspy voice.

"What is wrong with you? You need to eat—"

"Why? So Red Skull can get that perfect healthy super baby he wants?" Alex scoffed weakly. "I don't think so."

The guard grabbed hold of one of Alex's arms and pressed two fingers against her wrist only to discover that Alex's heart rate was well below normal. "We have to get you to the doctor," the guard stated as she pulled Alex over her shoulder and began carrying her out of her cell.

"No, put me down," Alex protested as she attempted to fight off the guard. However, due to her weakened state, Alex's attempts proved feeble.

The guard rushed to the lab and burst through the lab doors, catching the doctor's attention.

"What are you doing with her?" the doctor questioned at the sight of the guard carrying Alex. "She's supposed to be in her cell."

"She needs medical attention. She hasn't eaten in days and is suffering from starvation and possible dehydration," the guard replied.

"WHAT?!" the doctor exclaimed. "How is that possi—"

"That doesn't matter right now. She needs nutrients," the guard interrupted.

"Okay, strap her down to the examination table. If she's dehydrating, I need to administer her a saline solution with an IV needle."

The guard did as she was told and placed Alex on the examination table, strapping her down so that she wouldn't fight back even though Alex was too powerless to do so.

"What are you doing?" Alex questioned confused as she saw the doctor approaching her with a needle.

"Leave me alone," she mumbled, her vision becoming blurry.

"This is for your own good," the doctor stated plainly as she stuck the needle in Alex's left arm before Alex blacked out.

* * *

"So did you get any new leads from that location Natasha sent you?" Steve asked as he entered Tony's lab.

"No. I had J.A.R.V.I.S go through the security footage from that port they supposedly dropped off Alex at and found no site of Alex or that woman's van," Tony relied.

"Wait—so you're saying that that woman Nat interrogated tricked us? Ugh. I knew I should have—"

"Easy, Capsicle," Tony interjected. "I said J.A.R.V.I.S didn't find anything on Alex or the van, but what we did notice that was that the security footage for that area was set on loop so—"

"Whoever was there was covering their tracks," Steve uttered in frustration.

"Was Nat able to get any information that would help us find Alex?"

"Our suspect didn't know who she was working for or where they were taking Alex. The only thing they knew…was why they wanted Alex," Steve sighed, debating in his head whether or not he should tell Tony about Alex's pregnancy, unsure of how he would react. Steve remembered that the last time Tony had thought Alex was pregnant, Tony was ready to kill him and if Tony reacted the same way, it would not help the situation.

"Well, spill it grandpa. What did they want with Alex?" Tony asked.

Steve could see the frustration as well as the concern for Alex's safety on Tony's face that made him resolve his decision.

"They kidnapped Alex for her child," Steve responded.

"She's pregnant. Congratulations, Tony, _you're_ going to be a grandpa," Steve sighed as he anticipated the worst from Tony.

"How?" was the only words that came out of Tony's mouth after he heard the news.

"Tony, you're an adult. I'm pretty sure you can figure out how Alex—"

"No. I don't mean that," Tony said with a hint of disgust in his tone.

"I meant how did whoever kidnapped her know that she was pregnant?" Tony questioned.

"I was going to go to Dr. Parker to find out. She was the only other person who knew so I think she may have been compromised."

"Well, let's go find out who compromised her. It's bad enough they put my daughter in danger, but now they want to put my grandchild in danger. I don't think so," Tony stated firmly as he got up and made his way out of his lab.

"Also, _don't _call me grandpa."

* * *

"So, I see you're awake," boomed Red Skull's voice moments after Alex regained consciousness.

Alex squinted her eyes and attempted to get up from where she was laying only to feel the leather straps pressing against her wrists and ankles constricting her.

"Not so fast. What did you think you were going to pull with your 'not eating' routine? Huh? Did you honestly think you were going to rob me of what I want?"

"Look, you can poke me with needles and fill me with fluids that will keep me sustained all you want, but—"

"You stupid girl," interrupted Red Skull.

"My doctors didn't feed you with needles. They only gave you saline so you wouldn't dehydrate. I made them leave the task of feeding you to me," he said as he pulled out a tube from one of the cabinet draws.

"What are you doing with that?" Alex asked as she watched Red Skull approach her.

"Teaching you a lesson," he responded as he positioned one end of the tube at her nostril and began to slowly insert it up her nose.

Alex began to thrash in terror as an attempt get the tube out of her nose, but it only caused it to go further in more jaggedly.

"Fight it all you want," mocked Red Skull. "You're only making things worse for yourself."

Alex listened to his words as she felt the tube hit the back of her throat making her want to gag. She felt tears beginning to form in her eyes from the pain as the tube continued to go further down her throat.

When Red Skull had finally stopped inserting the tube down her throat, he connected the other end of the tube to a machine and turned the machine on.

Alex watched as a thick white goo moved through her tubes and entered her body via her nose.

"Mahlzeit![1]" Red Skull said eerily before he left Alex alone in the lab. ([1] That's a German equivalent to 'Bon Appetite')

* * *

Dr. Parker was sitting in her office checking emails when she heard a knock on her door.

"The door's open," she said as two men entered her office.

"Mr. Rogers, I wasn't expecting to see y—"

"Who did you tell?" Steve interrupted getting straight to the point.

"Tell who what?" Dr. Parker asked trying to sound innocent.

"Don't try to act innocent, doctor. Alex is missing and the reason why is because whoever took her wants to do something to our child. You were the only one person who knew so who did you tell?"

Dr. Parker remained silent, refusing to answer.

"Dr. Parker, you have to tell us so we can find her," Tony stated.

"I'm sorry. I can't help you," Dr. Parker said apologetically. "I don't know."

"How could you not know?" Steve demanded as he slammed his fist against her desk.

"They called my phone and asked me to give them all the information I had on Ms. Allweather. I didn't know they were going to kidnap her," Dr. Parker admitted.

"What did you think they were going to do with her?" Steve asked in a spiteful voice.

"Look, I'm sorry. I had no other choice. They were going to hurt my son."

"How long ago did this happen?" Tony asked.

"It happened the day that Ms. Allweather came in for her test results."

"Give me your phone," Tony requested.

"Okay, but why?" Dr. Parker asked as she handed her cell phone to Tony.

"I think I might be able to trace the source of the call."

"But that call was over two months ago."

"It's worth a shot and I'm going to take it," replied Tony with determination.

* * *

"Breakfast time," called the guard as she opened Alex's cell.

"Thanks," Alex said apathetically as she watched the guard place the tray on the floor as usual. Alex noticed that instead of having a plate of food on the tray, there was a Styrofoam container instead and raised her eyebrow in suspicion.

"What's with the Styrofoam? Is it my new source of nutrients now?" Alex asked sarcastically.

"Open the container you idiot," the guard replied.

Alex did as she was told and opened the container to reveal a plain cheeseburger. Her mouth watered at the sight of it, but immediately closed the container and pushed the tray away.

"Okay, what kind of sick joke is this? You force me to eat through a tube for a week and then you try to give me real food."

"It's not a joke. It's what you want. I overheard you mumbling 'I want a cheeseburger' when you were given the saline treatment so I thought I would get you one," the guard said trying to sound apathetic.

"Why would you do that?"

"I felt sorry for you. Happy?" the guard scoffed.

"Why would you feel sorry for me?" Alex questioned as she picked up the container and opened it. "I'm your prisoner."

"Yes, but your also five months pregnant and I'm the only one here that actually knows what that's like, so I have to look out for you," the guard admitted.

"Does that mean you're going to help me bust out of here?" Alex mumbled as she took a bit of her burger.

"Nice try," the guard scoffed. "But you're going to be here for a while, so get comfortable."

"That's what you think. Any day now, my fiancé is going to find me and when that happens, I suggest you run."

"Thanks for the warning," the guard said as she began to exit Alex's cell.

"Hey, wait," Alex called out. "What's your name"?

"It's Annabelle."

"Well, thanks for the burger, Annabelle."

* * *

"Dammit," Tony muttered under his breath. "This can't be happening."

"What is it, Tony?" Steve asked.

"I'm done," Tony responded. "The number I got from tracing the doctor's call gave me came from a disposable phone. There's no information that goes with it."

"Well, maybe you missed something. It's not possible that the number doesn't at least give you a name of some sort—even if it's an alias."

"That's the thing about disposable phones, you can't find out who bought it or even where they bought it. Hell, it was a miracle I even got a number from it. That number hasn't been active for weeks." Tony sighed in frustration. "We're back to square one.

Dun dun dun~


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **There's some flashbacks in this chapter indicated by '***' ok.

* * *

Alex woke up in the same cell that she had been sleeping in every night. She stared at the same ceiling as she waited for Annabel to arrive at the same time with her morning meal. As she waited for the recurring scenario to play out she felt an unfamiliar feeling in her abdominal area.

'Was that,' she thought as she immediately sat up and placed her hands over her womb waiting to see if she would feel that unfamiliar sensation again.

"Squishy, was that you or does mommy have gas?" Alex asked out loud. Moments later she felt a tap from inside her stomach.

"Morning," Annabel greeted as she opened Alex's cell door and stepped inside. "I was able to sneak you a—"

"Annabel, come here."

"What is it?" Annabel asked as she placed Alex's food tray on the floor and walked over to her.

"Is everything alright?" Annabel questioned.

"Do you feel that?" Alex asked as she took one of Annabel's hands and placed over her stomach. Annabel looked at Alex strangely before she felt a small force pressing against her hand.

"The kid started kicking?"

"I think so. I didn't know that babies started kicking so early. I thought that that happened later on," Alex admitted.

"I'd hardly call nineteen weeks early; I'd say you're exactly where you're supposed to be," Annabel giggled as she felt Alex's child press against her hand for a second time.

'Nineteen?' Alex thought to herself. 'That can't be. I was only twelve weeks when they brought me here. There's no way I could have been here for more than two weeks. Steve or my dad should have found me by now.'

"Alex, are you okay?" Annabel asked, snapping Alex out of her train of thought.

"No, I'm not okay," begun Alex. "Why did you just say that I was nineteen weeks pregnant?"

"Because you are, duh," Annabelle replied sarcastically. "Couldn't you tell by your huge bump?"

"I can't be. That would mean I've been here for almost two months."

"You have been."

"But my fiancé—" Alex began.

"Is not coming to save you," Annabelle interrupted. "Because if he was, he would have by now."

"But—"

"I'm sorry, Alex, but that's just how it is. Now eat your breakfast," Annabelle sighed before she exited the cell.

* * *

Alex lied on the examination table motionless as usual waiting for the doctor to do whatever tests she needed to do. She drowned out the sound of the doctor and her assistant fumbling around with the equipment and ignored the pinching sensation caused by a needle going through her arm and the coldness of the ultrasound gel being applied to her abdomen. Her mind began to wander and she thought of a time that felt not too long ago to her.

"What if we turn the guest room into a nursery?" Alex said out loud.

"That sounds good on paper but, where will your mom stay when she visits?" Steve pointed out. "Face it, Alex. It's about time we move out of Stark Towers."

"No, we don't. Our apartment might not have enough rooms, but my mom could stay in my old room upstairs. Besides, where else are we going to live that has a state of the art lab that I can use whenever I want or a training facility for you and, besides, the building has my name on it—we have to stay."

"Alex, we're going to be starting a family. Don't you want us to have our own home where we can raise our son or daughter like normal people?" Steve asked.

"I do," Alex sighed. "But I also want to be not too far from my dad or Pepper and if we stay here it will be easier for you to do your S.H.I.E.L.D stuff. Besides, it will give us time to adjust to being parents—please Steve."

"Okay fine, we can stay here for a while after the baby is born as long as we'll eventually get a house with a backyard so I can teach the kid to play baseball."

"Baseball?" Alex began as she gave Steve a suspicious look. "You're not hoping for a boy, are you?"

"A boy would be great, but if we have a girl I'd be more than happy to teach her how to play baseball or how to draw. What about you?"

"Well," Alex began, "If we have a boy, I could show them how to play videogames and dress them up as Squirtle and if we have a girl, I could show them how to play videogames and dress them up as a Chikarita."

"You do know you're not giving birth to a Pokémon, right?"

"Of course I know," assured Alex.

"I'm going to give birth to a little boy or a little girl and they're either going to be little angles like you or they're going have the classic Stark sass like me. It's a fifty-fifty chance," Alex joked.

"So when are you going to find out if it's a boy or a girl?" asked Steve.

"I'm supposed to get a sonogram in about two months to find out the gender," Alex replied. "Make sure you're not on a mission or something so you can be there when I find out, okay?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Alex was brought back to reality when she heard the doctor talking to her assistant

"The child seems to be doing well and her tests show no signs of abnormalities. Our boss will be pleased to know that," the doctor said to her assistant.

"What's that weird bump? Is it cancer?" questioned the one of the guards.

"That's the child's penis. It's a boy, you idiot," the doctor scolded. "It's a good thing you're not a doctor."

"I'm having a boy?" Alex asked.

"Apparently so," the guard responded.

"You idiot, she's not supposed to know that," the doctor whispered.

"Why not?" questioned the guard.

"Because," began the doctor.

As the doctor went on about procedures and such, Alex ignored their conversation and thought about the recent news.

'I can't believe I'm having a son,' Alex thought. 'A son I'll never get to know.'

"Guards, take her back to her cell," the doctor ordered.

The guards did as they were told and brought of Alex back to her cell. As they closed the door, she overheard one guard say, "I don't know why the doctor has so many protocols. It doesn't matter if the girl knows the gender of the baby or not; she's as good as dead once it's born.'

Those words struck fear into Alex and she thought to herself, 'I have to find a way out of here.'

* * *

"No, that won't work either. I have no idea where they lead to," muttered Alex as she mentally crossed out escaping through the drainage pipes in the shower room.

"There's got to be a way out," Alex said to herself as she began drawing out as much as the layout of the building's layout as possible on the dusty floor.

"So here's my cell. Here's the lab. Here's the shower room. Over there are two long halls that I don't know where they lead too and—that's it. That's all I know. Shit. I'm never going to get out of here," Alex whispered to herself.

'But I can't let Red Skull take my child and use it for evil—there has to be something I can do to stop him,' Alex thought to herself as she began to brainstorm.

As she tried to come up with her plan, she remembered what Tony once told her when she was young.

Alex had snuck into Tony's lab late one night hoping to get an early start on the robotic dog she had been working on earlier that day. As Alex opened the door to the lab, she could hear the sounds of objects being smashed.

"Dad," she began as she entered the lab cautiously. "What are you doing?"

"Alex, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be asleep."

"Why are you destroying the new weapon you made?" Alex asked confused.

"There's been a security breech and I'm afraid that this might fall into the wrong hands," Tony replied.

"I— I don't understand. Why don't you just hide it somewhere where they can't find it?"

"It's not that simple, Alex," Tony sighed. "As a creator, it's my job to make things that will help the world, but it's also my job to make sure no one can use what I create for something that will destroy the world— that's the case right now. I have to destroy my creation before it becomes a threat to someone," Tony explained. "Do you understand?"

"I think so," Alex answered.

"Alright then, go back to sleep, honey."

"Hey, dad…how will I know if I have to destroy something I've created just like you have?" questioned Alex.

"When there's not much else you can do," Tony sighed unknowingly leaving a lasting impression on Alex's twelve-year-old self.

'But is this really my only option?' Alex thought as she heard footsteps approaching her cell followed by Annabelle entering her cell to deliver Alex her dinner.

* * *

**A/N:** I'm sorry this came out a bit late. I had trouble figuring out what to include and what not to include. I was originally going to add two more scenes to this chapter, but my editor friend said it would be better if I saved it for the next chapter so.. *queue suspense*. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed. Let me know what you're thinking/ how you feel. -Stace


End file.
